There was a time this offseason when the Buffalo Bills traded Stefon Diggs that the popular narrative was that Buffalo’s window as a Super Bowl contender might be closed.
The season has not even closed.
After this season, it’s fair to assume the Bills will be a contender every season during Josh Allen’s prime. Allen has had an incredible season and it continued on Sunday. He carried the Bills again, beating a Detroit Lions team that was 12-1 before Sunday. The Bills had 559 yards of offense and beat the Lions 48-42 in a game that really wasn’t that close. Buffalo improved to 11-3 with the win. Allen continues his march to his first NFL MVP award. He had 362 yards passing with two passing touchdowns and had 68 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. In the last two games, Allen has five touchdowns and five rushing touchdowns. It’s rare for a quarterback to reach the level of play that Allen has had for most of this season.
What could really take Allen to the next level in terms of where he is in the game and how he is perceived would be a deep playoff run. On Sunday, the Bills looked like a team that could find themselves in Super Bowl LIX.
Accounts are off to a great start
The Bills immediately made a statement. They scored touchdowns on each of their first three drives. Josh Allen had two rushing touchdowns early on and then James Cook scored to give Buffalo a 21-7 lead. It wasn’t just about the Bills scoring touchdowns. There was almost no opposition from the Lions defense to anything they did.
Allen had 254 yards in the first half alone. The Lions were able to stay afloat in defense after the injury to Aidan Hutchinson weeks ago, but the injuries kept piling up in defense and the last couple of games haven’t been great. The Green Bay Packers swept it pretty easily in Week 14, even though the Lions were hanging on for a win. The Bills have taken advantage of every flaw the Lions defense has. Allen hit pass after pass and when he didn’t get open, he just ran for the positive gain.
Detroit has a lot of offensive power and has put up some points. Tim Patrick scored after a nice play by Jared Goff. Offensive lineman Dan Skipper got a 9-yard touchdown on a trick play. But the Lions still led 28-14 at halftime as the defense had no answers.
On the other hand, Allen isn’t getting much of an answer from any defense this season.
Buffalo extends its lead
Bills kept piling up in the third quarter. Amon Ra St.-Brown hit a catch over the middle and the Bills cashed in with a Khalil Shakir touchdown. Buffalo led 35:14. With 3:31 left in the third quarter, the Bills had 35 points and 455 yards.
The Lions’ inability to stop Allen could have been a big factor in the unusual strategic move. In the 12th minute, Detroit cut Buffalo’s lead to 38-28 and decided to attempt a free kick. Onside kicks are almost never recovered under the new rules and trying one after 12 minutes seemed silly, but the Lions had to try one and hope. It’s not like Allen was being stopped anyway. The Bills recovered their desperation punt and returned it to Detroit’s 5-yard line. Ray Davis scored on the next play to push the Bills lead to 45-28.
Allen didn’t win MVP or win a Super Bowl. He will probably win the MVP award this season. Even with the Bills trailing the Kansas City Chiefs by two games in the race for first place in the AFC, you can’t rule out Buffalo going to Kansas City and winning in the playoffs. The Bills looked like the best or second best team in the NFL on Sunday (don’t forget the Eagles, who have won 10 straight).
There’s a chance the Bills end this season in their first Super Bowl in three decades. Allen can make sure of that.